Men's Soccer Rolls Over Emerson Lions with Two Goals

BOSTON, MA (September 24, 2024) - The Tufts University men's soccer team played a clean 90 minutes against the Emerson College Lions in a non conference matchup in the heart of Boston at Rotch Field Tuesday night.

The Jumbos (5-0-1) encountered early resistance from the Lions (2-5-1) in the first half, as the home side possessed well and progressed down the field with efficiency. Junior goalkeeper Nikola Antic was tested early, standing tall between the pipes as he faced two long-range shots on goal in the opening frame. 

Graduate Student Max Clivio had a great start to the game, locking up the Jumbos defensive third with unwavering physicality. He contributed offensively as well, putting a shot on goal from range, forcing a save from Emerson goalkeeper Wylie Jelinek. 

Tufts was able to corral possession for a sustained push into the Lions end of the field late in the first half. The visitors were able to create unfettered chaos in the Emerson penalty area, forcing the Lions to condense their defense to prevent an opening goal. The home side would attempt to clear, but freshman Will Nicholas was on the other end of the ball. A devastating one-time shot curled away from the near post, going from the middle of the goal to the far corner and past a diving Jelinek. An absolutely beautiful goal to give the Jumbos a one goal lead.

The second half began with the Jumbos holding all the momentum. The defense, lead by Clivio, was suffocating any attack the Lions could muster. Junior James Gunn was a stone wall as well, coming on as a substitute and playing 62 minutes, while helping to keep the Lions to just three shots on goal. Only one of those shots on goal would come in the second half.

Chaos reigned in the Lions penalty area. The Jumbos were unrelenting in their pressure, despite carrying a 1-0 lead. Frequent shots came in towards the Emerson net, keeping Jelinek very busy. The Jumbos would amass 19 shots through 90 minutes, with eight of them landing on target. 

The chaotic play in the penalty area eventually yielded a corner kick for the Jumbos, an instance that would occur six times throughout the game. A beautiful inswinging cross found the head of junior Mateo Bargagna, who grappled hard for the ball and turned up victorious. A lunging header proved too powerful for Jelinek, and Bargagna had scored his first goal of the 2024 season.

The two goal lead clearly did not satiate the hunger of the Jumbos, who continued to keep their foot on the gas in search of a third. Sophomore midfielder Ben Brown, who came on as a substitute, was the Jumbo that came closest to scoring. A beautiful ball to the back post found Brown, who nodded a header past Jelinek, but his attempt found woodwork instead of netting. Brown would see 35 minutes of play, with the post-ringing header being his only shot.

Tufts would control every aspect of the game to close play, as they hemmed the Lions in their own den, preventing any semblance of an attack and securing their sixth win of the season. 
The Jumbos will return to NESCAC play on Saturday, with a road match at Wesleyan starting at 3:00 PM in Middletown.